Small farms 'at risk' from new National Park proposal

The rural business organisation made the comments in its response to a NatureScot consultation on the National Park proposals.

SLE warned that many farms are already surviving on tiny margins and new restrictions may hinder rather than support their ability to operate in the coming years.

Stephen Young, Director of Policy for Scottish Land & Estates, said: “There are fears that the creation of a new National Park will result in another layer of costly regulation, which could make some farms unviable. Many farmers are just scraping by as it is and the cost of complying with further regulations could prove the final straw, particularly for smaller farms. Following on from the impact of the changes to inheritance tax, along with the morass of regulations which already weigh heavily on the sector, a new National Park Authority is the last thing farmers need.”

NatureScot has set out three options for the boundary of the proposed Galloway National Park, each covering a vast area with a range of land types, including important sites for forestry and food production, which currently provide economic benefit to Scotland and support jobs.

Among the additional concerns raised by rural businesses in the region are the lack of infrastructure in the area, added bureaucracy and the potential conflict between increased tourism and conservation of the environment.

Connectivity in the region is also a major issue, with the main transport link across the region, the A75, considered unfit to cope with any increase in visitors, with extremely limited options for public transport.

Mr Young continued: “We have serious concerns about the consultation process. There has never been an independent assessment of the strengths and needs of the area, to ensure that any benefits arising would build on these, rather than replacing or diminishing them. Similarly there is potential for the legislation which governs National Parks to be amended by the forthcoming Natural Environment Bill.

“There are already a number of bodies, including the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Partnership, the International Dark Sky Park and South of Scotland Enterprise, all of which have the potential to bring similar benefits to the region, but the option of greater collaborative working to reach mutually beneficial outcomes has not been proposed. Questions remain about whether the Galloway National Park proposal is the best use of scarce public money.

“There is a likelihood of conflicting views and duplication of effort by creating another body with different ideas on land use. Consideration should be given to better partnership working between the existing bodies, rather than creating a whole new entity.”

SLE reports that in addition to agriculture, Galloway is currently at the forefront of sustainable forestry in Scotland, but adding further costly regulations through a new National Park Authority could jeopardise the sector and may conflict with the Scottish Government’s target of 21% woodland cover by 2032.

In other National Parks in Scotland, there are issues such as tighter planning rules, along with some friction between land managers and increased visitor numbers in National Parks resulting in more frequent instances of livestock worrying, littering, fly tipping, inconsiderate parking, vandalism and wildfires.

Land managers have also raised concerns that the consultation process for the proposed Galloway National Park has been undertaken prior to publication of the Natural Environment Bill, which is expected to reframe National Park legislation in Scotland.

A survey of SLE members found that 91% within the proposed National Park boundary were opposed to the plans. Amongst members in the wider south-west ‘ripple area’ around the proposed boundaries, opposition stands at 67%.

It is expected that NatureScot will submit a report to Scottish Ministers by the end of April.